Roseville man accused of voter fraud

A Roseville man who is a Mexican citizen has been charged with voter fraud for registering to vote here, according to state officials.

José Antonio Ramirez-Velázquez, 47, is expected to be formally charged Friday with making a material false statement when registering to vote, a 90-day misdemeanor, in 39th District Court in Roseville, state Attorney General Bill Schuette and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson say in a Thursday press release.

“The right to vote is sacred and must be protected for all American citizens,” Schuette says in the release. “Strict enforcement of state election laws preserves the integrity of our democratic system.”

The fraud came to authorities’ attention in December when Ramirez-Velázquez told police and U.S. Border Patrol agents that he had voted in federal elections, officials say. Investigators confirmed Ramirez-Velázquez’s status as a Mexican citizen, officials say. His alleged illegal registration allowed him to vote in elections in November 2004, 2006 and 2008.

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The arrest comes after the state Legislature, with support from Johnson, added new language to the ballot application filled out by registered voters at a polling place on election day that reminds voters they must be a citizen in order vote. Tuesday’s election will be the first at which the new wording will be used.

“A vote is each person’s voice on Election Day, and that voice shouldn’t be diluted by unqualified voters,” Johnson says in the release. “This example shows why my efforts to make clear that only citizens must vote when voters pick up their ballot were needed.”

Johnson has has tried to crack down on voter fraud, and the arrest adds credibility to the claim that fraud is widespread.

Last month, a Panamanian citizen living in Berrien County was sentenced to jail and community service for voting in 2008.